System and Method for Performing Bone Densitometer Measurements

1. A method for performing skeletal age assessment, the method comprising: scanning at least a portion of a hand of a patient using a dual-energy x-ray imaging system; acquiring density information of the hand from the scan; comparing the density information to at least one reference image; and automatically determining a skeletal age of the patient based on the comparison.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein comparing further comprises automatically comparing the density information to a digital reference image stored in an electronic atlas.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein comparing further comprises automatically comparing the density information to a plurality of digital reference images stored in an electronic Gilsanz-Ratib atlas.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising: identifying a plurality of bones in the hand and wrist based on the scan; comparing the density information for each of the respective plurality of identified bones to a plurality of digital reference images stored in an electronic atlas; and automatically determining the skeletal age of the patient based on the comparison.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein determining the skeletal age comprises: automatically selecting a reference image for each identified bone in the hand and a wrist; and automatically generating a scored image of the hand and wrist using the selected images.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising automatically generating a scored image of the hand using a plurality of images selected from an electronic atlas, the scored image being used to determine the skeletal age of the patient.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising: automatically selecting a reference image for each identified bone in the hand and a wrist; and manually replacing at least one of the selected images with a different reference image, automatically generating a scored image using the automatically selected reference images and the at least one different reference image.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the comparing comprises utilizing a pattern matching algorithm to select the reference image.

9. A dual-energy x-ray imaging system comprising: a dual-energy x-ray source; an x-ray detector receiving x-rays emitted from the dual-energy x-ray source; and an age assessment module coupled to the x-ray detector, the age assessment module is programmed to: scan a hand and wrist of a patient using a dual-energy x-ray imaging system to acquire density information of the hand and wrist; automatically compare the density information for a plurality of identified bones in the hand and wrist to a plurality of reference images stored in an electronic atlas; and automatically determine a skeletal age of the patient based on the comparison.

10. The imaging system of claim 9 , wherein the module is further programmed to automatically compare the density information for each identified bone to a plurality of digital reference images stored in an electronic atlas.

11. The imaging system of claim 9 , wherein the module is further programmed to automatically compare the density information for each identified bone to a plurality of digital reference images stored in an electronic Gilsanz-Ratib atlas.

12. The imaging system of claim 9 , wherein the module is further programmed to: automatically select a reference image for each identified bone from the electronic atlas, each reference image being assigned a score; and sum the scores for the reference images to determine a skeletal age of the patient.

13. The imaging system of claim 9 , wherein the module is further programmed to: automatically select a reference image for each identified bone in the hand and a wrist; and receive an input to manually replace at least one of the selected images with a different reference image, automatically generate a scored image using the automatically selected reference images and the at least one different reference image.

14. The imaging system of claim 9 , wherein the module is further programmed to utilize a pattern matching algorithm to select the reference image.